The second round of talks on the China-Norway Free Trade Agreement was held in Beijing from December 3 to 4. Vice Commerce Minister Yi Xiaozhun met with the delegation from Norway. The two parties exchanged their views on goods, services and investment, and discussed topics including rules of origin, SPS/TBT, trade relief, trade facilitation and intellectual property rights, etc. Substantial progress was made in the negotiation process.

Norway is the fourth largest trade partner of China in Northern Europe, also a major European supplier of fertilizers, marine products and oil. In recent years, China and Norway continue to deepen their mutually beneficial cooperation and exchange in trade, investment and technology. From January to October 2008, Sino-Norwegian bilateral trade amounted to USD 3.924 billion, up 24.2 percent year on year. China’s export amounted to USD 2.154 billion, up 18.29 percent year on year; China’s import amounted to USD 1.77 billion, up 32.2 percent year on year. By the end of this October, Norway’s investment in China exceeded USD 300 million, involving such fields as energy efficiency, offshore oil exploration, fisheries, shipbuilding and environmental protection. In addition, China and Norway’s cooperation in electronics, machinery, agriculture and environmental protection has become increasingly intensive.